25. Chapter Twenty-Five
Maya
I was freaking out; I didn’t know what to do. Dax Hillcrest had made it very clear that should I tell my boys—tell anyone—there would be hell to pay. I spent the week after my late-night encounter trying to act as if nothing was wrong, but my insides were eating me alive—as was my guilt.
I’d never kept anything like this from my guys. Ever.
We didn’t do secrets between us, even with club shit, my guys told me everything.
I was all in, there was no half-ways in this life, it was how people got killed.
The club was dangerous, because they had dangerous enemies and I needed to know so I could stay safe.
Also, so I could keep an eye out myself in the hospital—I could come across anyone at any point.
Here I was though, keeping something so fucking huge from my men. Details like this could change their war. Someone had hit their warehouse the same night and time that someone had killed the mayor.
I knew who killed the mayor, yet the rest of the world didn’t seem to know—my guys included.
I was going to be in so much trouble when my guy found out I was kept this from them.
This could break us. The last thing I wanted was to lose them—Marcos, Jason, and Nico were the world to me.
My entire life revolved around them. I had my guys, my sister, and a handful of close girlfriends, and that was it.
My stomach rolled again at the thought of my massive betrayal.
“Hey Miss Maya, you clocking out for the day?” Dwight the security guard called out.
I jerked my head up and looked around, realizing I was in a daze as I was leaving the hospital. I shot Dwight an apologetic look. “Hey Dwight, yeah, I’m out of here.” I had just finished a rare day-shift and my mind clearly wasn’t in the right place.
“Well, you have a good evening now,” Dwight smiled.
I grinned back, loving my comradery with the older gentleman.
Dwight was a kind-hearted man that made sure to know the name of every staff member that entered through the hospital.
He kept a bucket of candy on the desk and his wife made Christmas cookies every year to share with all those that stopped by.
It had become a meeting place amongst the nurses who need a sugar fix in the middle of a long shift.
“I am out of here,” I announced a broad smile on my face. “I’ll see you in a week!”
“Have a great vacation,” Dwight replied with a smile.
I pushed out of the hospital, a smile on my face as I tilted my head up to the sunshine.
Is this what it’s like to work day shift?
I could get use to this. The thought made me chuckle.
As much as I enjoyed getting off in the sunshine, the tension of admin and staff that weren’t there at night, had made the day drag on forever.
It had also made my nerves worse.
I had too much on my mind and kept getting distracted; which was evident a moment later when I realized I couldn’t find my car. The lot that morning had been packed and I hadn’t been able to park in my usual lot.
Sighing, I realized I had to trek the half mile to lot C—the overflow lot. On my walk over, an unsettling feeling rolled over me. I’d been so out of it all day, but now I felt the weight of the secret baring down on me.
In the naked light of day, my decisions were detrimental to my relationship. There would be no coming back from this. It was a betrayal. I knew it in my heart—my guys would see it that way as well.
After two years together, it was killing me.
I had to come clean .
Tonight.
Lost in thought, I made it to my car without realizing.
Only to jolt out of my thoughts when I saw the bouquet of flowers on the hood of my car.
I whipped my head around, looking for anyone out of place in the parking lot.
I was mostly alone, though. Other hospital workers were headed to their cars as well, but nothing seemed out of place.
I looked down at the massive bouquet on the hood of my Honda Civic.
It wasn’t your standard flower arrangement.
It was utterly breath taking, but it was made up of Snapdragons and begonias and black dahlias.
I knew from a literature class in college that there was a whole flower language back in the day.
I pulled out my phone and quickly looked up what each flower meant. Begonias were thought to symbolize caution, Snapdragons meant deception and concealment, and black Dahlias were the symbol of betrayal.
Motherfucker.
My heart exploded in my chest. Was this from my guys? Did they somehow find out? Were they breaking up with me?
My hand fluttered as I reached for the note that accompanied the flowers, it was tucked up under my windshield wipers.
At the bottom of the note was crude drawing of the Devil’s Psycho’s logo.
My whole body ran cold as my spine locked in place. It was from Dax. The flowers, the note, the fucking threat, it was all from Dax fucking Hillcrest.
A frighten sob tore out of me before I could stop it. I slapped a hand my mouth and quickly stifled any noise I could make before anyone from work could suspect something was wrong. Suddenly, there were too many people around.
I grabbed the note and the flowers, unlocked my car, and shoved it all in the passenger seat as I quickly sat behind the wheel. Once I was locked inside the vehicle, I needed two hands to get my shaky key into the ignition. I had to get away from work, fast.
I flew out of the parking lot, barely paying attention to those around me and sped away from work as fast as traffic would allow. Tears poured down my face as I finally let myself cry.
I was so totally fucked. Dax made it clear he knew who my guys were. The biker gang he had just started a war with when he sent his crew to steal from their warehouse, all while he was killing the mayor, someone also instrumental to their work.
My breathing grew erratic as I began to hyperventilate. I had to pull over quickly. I found a park in the neighborhood not far from the hospital and quickly parked in the lot. I buried my face in my hands and sobbed my heart out. My entire body shook with the force of my sobs.
I’m so fucking, fucked!
I had to come clean. I needed to go home and wait for my guys to get back from work and tell them everything. They would be upset, but I would have to bear the consequences. There was too much riding on them not knowing.
Resolved to a plan, I focused on getting my breathing under control and calming down.
I wiped my face with my hands and cleaned up as best as I could.
Checking my make up in the rearview mirror, I swiped away the ruined mascara and eyeliner, before I reached for my water and took a long gulp of the cool liquid.
I sat there a moment longer composing myself. I took deep breaths and let them out slowly. Just as I was getting ready to leave, my phone rang. My eyes flashed to the phone screen in my cup holder. FUCK! I hadn’t texted that I was leaving work!
Nico was calling me.
I quickly picked up the phone and cleared my throat before I answered it. “Hey baby.”
“Maya! Thank God.” Nico sighed in relief. “Are you almost done with work? Marcos and Jason have been shot!”
My heart fell into the pit of my stomach. “What?” I gasped, disbelief and understanding sunk within her. Dax. This had Dax written all over it.
“Look, they’re ok, but they could use your medical expertise. Are you coming home soon?” Nico’s voice was calm in my ear, steady.
“Yes. Yep. Clocking out. I’ll be there soon.”
“Good. Love you, Little Dreamer.”
“Love you too,” I choked out. I hung up my phone and set it back in the cup holder. Taking a deep breath, I checked my reflection in the mirror again and wiped away another tear. I needed to get home and get to my guys.
Glancing over at the flowers on the passenger seat, I grumbled, “Fucking hell.” Making a snap decision, I grabbed the bouquet and threw open the driver’s side door. I walked over to a garbage can in the park and tossed the flowers. “Bitch up, Maya. We’ve got shit to do,” I told myself.
At home, I find both Marcos and Jason sitting at the kitchen table holding dish rags to bleeding wounds. Marcos’s was pressed against his calf and Jason’s was held against his left bicep. Once again, my heart stopped in my chest, and my breath hitched as I gasped.
My guys were hurt.
“Come here, Mia Vida,” Marcos murmured, holding an arm out to me.
I walked slowly, tentatively toward him; my eyes darting to Jason as well. Jason gave me a tight smile and reached for my hand as I slid onto Marcos’s thigh. Perching on the leg that wasn’t injured, I looked up at Marcos and frowned. “What happened?”
“Las Serpientes,” he replied immediately. He sighed. “Their leader Dax Hillcrest is looking to make a move in Creekton. Starting with trying to take out the Psychos.”
I swallowed thickly. I could feel the blood draining from my face. Slowly I turned to take in Jason. He was pale himself, but still he reached out to me with his injured arm and looped our fingers together loosely.
Nico stepped in beside me and rested his hand on my shoulder, massaging gently. “Don’t worry about the snakes,” he muttered. “We’ll take care of them. ”
I could only nod my head, my voice unreliable.
My loss for words didn’t seem to bother my guys, though.
I swallowed thickly again and looked down at Marco’s calf.
His jeans were a bloody mess and he was dripping onto the tile floor.
“Shit,” I swore. I dropped Jason’s hand and slid from Marcos’s lap.
I bumped into Nico as I tried to back away and he wrapped his hands around my hips. “Easy, little Dreamer.”
I took a deep breath and tried to steady my nerves. I had work to do here. “I need my bag,” I muttered, mostly to myself.
“Right here,” Nico said from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder, to find my medical bag sitting on the counter, already open. The three of them were oddly calm, for two of them just being shot. Realizing I was probably in shock, I slowly stepped away from Nico and walked the short distance to my bag.
“How did this happen?” I asked again, my mind struggling to keep up. I started pulling out gaze and iodine, forceps and suture kits.
“The other night he went after our warehouse, raided us. His crew took an entire shipment of both weapons and drugs. We went after his crew tonight, took a little pay back,” Marcos answered.
I gasped, immediately dropping the supplies I had gathered from my duffle.
“Shh, little dreamer. It’s ok,” Nico murmured. His warm hands enveloped mine, steadying my shaking fingers .
I squeezed my eyes shut, wrapping my fingers around his, stealing his strength.
Nico pressed a kiss to my temple before he murmured softly to me. “They’re ok. We’re all going to be ok. I promise you.”
I let out a shuddering breath.
“Darlin, be a good girl, now.” Jason’s voice was a soft croon that sent shivers down my spine for a different reason. After two years together, the man’s voice could still affect me. He knew exactly what he was doing to me too—it was a weapon he honed to his advantage.
I took a deep breath before I shot him a withering glare.
His answering smirk was hot as fuck. The little quirk of his lips in the corners, his eyes crinkling. God damn, even dripping blood, Jason Langford was sexy as hell.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered. His little trick had worked though; I managed to clear my mind and snap out of my funk. I was able to gather all of my supplies quickly, before I gloved up and got to work.